OF DEMONS AND HUMANS
by Chona
Summary: Collecting shards of the Shikon Jewel isn't easy, but Inuyasha and his friends are determined to piece back together the Shikon-no-tama and defeat the treacherous Naraku. However, Naraku has a few tricks up his sleeve to cause division within the group. A
1. Old Acquaintances

OF DEMONS AND HUMANS

Chapter One

Old Acquaintances

By Ashley

"Well, it doesn't matter. The point is that I'm going to crush Naraku once we can find his castle!" Inuyasha exclaimed. The fire cracked and a few sparks flew for him but dissipated in the air before ever reaching the blood red kimono. Clawed digits curled into a fist that slammed into the palm of his other hand. "I've already learned the technique to break the barrier by destroying that crystal that the guardian of the bat tribe used to put up their barrier."

"That's right. Allowing Tetsaiga to absorb the blood of the crystal heightened Tetsaiga's power. Breaking through Naraku's barrier shouldn't be too much of a problem..." Miroku's intellectual voice waned into a less confident tone. "The problem is finding the castle."

"We need to pull together our strengths. The sooner we locate the castle, the better." Sango piped up. The others, minus Inuyasha, nodded in agreement. "I think a formal test would be best. We don't know for sure if your sword is strong enough to break the barrier."

"Mmhm." Kagome quickly agreed. "Naraku is growing stronger every day! When we hit him, we have to be at our best!"

"Oh, will you three quit your doubting. You guys got nothin' to worry about. My Tetsaiga will break the barrier and then I'll just blast him with my Wind Scar! It ain't like it'll be hard or anything."

Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou exchanged glances. Shaking their heads, the four went about preparing their bedding for the evening. Inuyasha's brow twitched.

"Over-confident, as usual." Miroku mumbled as he patted the pillow and prepared to lay out on the soft blue material. Sango eyed Inuyasha with one of her looks before lying down. Kilala bounded over to her and curled up at her chest.

"Over-confident with a major ego and a total lack of teamwork." The accusing voice of Kagome hit him the hardest. Miroku and Sango didn't mean much, but to hear Kagome say it was even worse. A growl was heard within his throat, eyebrow still twitching.

"After all we've done for him." That was the last straw. Shippou's comment drove the hit home. "OW!" He cried. A lump welled onto his orange and fuzzy head as Inuyasha pounded his frustration out on him. "KAGOME!"

"Rrrrrrrr... Inuyasha..."

"Eh?" Those yellow orbs widened and he took a step back as if he might escape the command.

"SIT BOY!" The scream echoed into the dark forest and the resounding BANG! was even louder. A bird soared overhead and could see the soft glow of a fire deep within the greenery. It cawed and flapped its wings, gliding off into another direction. Silence followed the departure. The only other noise was the occasional cry of an animal within the trees, the soft breathing of the five friends all but Inuyasha bundled within bedding, and the crackling of the vibrant fire.

The lights were dim. An eerie power buzzed silently around the castle. There were no guards. There were no servants. Thrice were the dwellers of the large mansion. The sky was dark, eminent. The pattering of tiny and slow footsteps approached a door. A small child dressed in a white kimono stepped through the curtain and out into the open. Her hair was as pale as the moon and her eyes were as sad as a weeping willow. Between her hands she held a mirror, its iron frame blanched. Her sad orbs lifted as the giant feather descended upon the dreary castle courtyard. A woman stepped off as the feather grew smaller. The woman was tall with hair colored pitch and a rather colorful kimono. Her eyes were rubies that held a certain resentment and malice. She captured the feather in her hand and placed it into the bun on her head.

"Kanna." The tall one began. "Where is Naraku?"

"He is in his chamber." Answered Kanna, her voice hushed and emotionless. The woman brushed passed her younger sister and entered the castle doors. Kanna turned and slowly followed her in. After several turns through the halls, the woman arrived to the location she desired. The silhouette of her master was outlined by the moonlight shining through the window and sifting through the slits of the blinds of the door. Inhaling deeply, the woman pushed back the curtain and entered.

"Kagura." The man began. His oceanic orbs were focused on the moon, his face solemn as stone. He was sitting on the floor, right arm draped on his right knee as it was bent upward. Ebony cloth pants draped loosely around his hips traveling down to his ankles. His muscular chest was bare. Long, curly brown tresses caped his back from his head. "I hope you bring me good word."

"Tomorrow, Inuyasha and his company are headed for the castle. They will have to cross the Field of Bone. There are many demons residing there. They will not go unnoticed. If you wish, I can attack as well."

"That will not be necessary." He replied, his tone as cold as always. He then directed his speaking to another. "Miyu..."

A red and black aura began to glow from behind another curtain. The kneeling form of a third person was visible behind the slits.

"Are you ready to under-go this task I have set for you?"

"Yes... Master Naraku." Replied the monotone voice of a woman. It was clear that she was under some sort of enchantment. Kagura grimaced. Her like for Naraku's latest tool was almost as little as her like for him. The puppet woman was powerful, yes... but she couldn't destroy Inuyasha or the others. _So why was Naraku wasting his time sending her? _As if reading her thoughts, Naraku replied to Kagura's mental question. A blue glare was shot in her direction.

"You underestimate the power of division, Kagura." Those blue orbs returned to the focus of the moon. "Go, Miyu. You will find them in the Field of Bone."

"Yes... Master Naraku..."

The sun was blaring as they climbed over the dusty hill. Before the traveling troupe lay a plain. Across the way the mountainous stretches could be seen. Smiles were poised on the lips of all five of the travelers. Even Kilala seemed joyous. But their smiles quickly faded when the expanse of bones entered their line of vision. The field was littered with corpses and skeletons. Kagome grimaced and inched backward. A horrid stench rose from the valley, intensified by the heat from the sun.

Inuyasha covered his nose with the sleeve of his kimono. Taking a step forward, he began the troupe's trek into the Field of Bone.

"Come on." He said. "We aren't gettin' through it by just lookin' at it."

Though they knew he was correct, the others were more hesitant on following him in. However, in a moment's time, they followed him down the hill.

The sun was high over-head and the group of friends had crossed nearly three-fourths of the field without encounter. It was disgusting. Human and animal skulls stared up at the travelers with their empty eye-sockets. Dusty bones crunched beneath their feet. Vultures were picking at decaying corpses and the rancid smell of rotting flesh numbed their senses.

Inuyasha suddenly came to a stop. Kagome practically ran into him but managed to throw her weight back into Miroku to avoid the collision. Just as she was about to thank Miroku for catching her, she felt a hand gliding across the curve of her rear. Cheeks bright red in embarrassment, Kagome lurched forward and smacked him hard across the cheek.

"You pervert!" She exclaimed, hands balled into fists. Miroku chuckled nervously and took a step back. Sango's brow was twitching. SMACK! Her hand was imprinted on his other cheek for his messing around.

"Lecher..." She grumbled. Though during this little dispute, Inuyasha remained completely silent. He was staring out at the field, oblivious to the amusement behind him. Lowering his kimono sleeve, Inuyasha willingly sniffed the air. Though the smell of decay was powerful, it could not cover the stench of a demon lurking close by. But where? His yellow orbs darted around the plain.

"Be quiet." He finally commanded, right hand going for the handle of Tetsaiga. The left thumb flicked the pommel and the sword slid an inch from the scabbard. From left to right, Inuyasha glanced for a sign of movement somewhere. Nothing. Where was the demon? He knew it was getting closer. Kilala suddenly growled, spreading her legs and crouching in an attack position. Her body was engulfed in flames for a moment as her size more than tripled to that of a giant two-tail, saber-tooth fangs protruding from her top row of sharp teeth.

All of a sudden, skulls and appendage bones went flying into the air directly behind them. What seemed like hundreds of legs branched down the long belly of a centipede as it lurched into the air and reared back behind them. Its mandibles retracted and a glob of poison gook was hurled from the creature's mouth. Sango jumped onto Kilala, who bounded out of range with one swift leap to the left. Miroku managed to dodge the blast radius by stumbling to his right. Kagome, however, was trapped in the center. A gasp caught in her throat, the knuckles clutching the bow stark white from her tight grip. In the moment of terror, strong hands gripped her waist and she was jerked into the air. Inuyasha pulled her close to his chest as they soared over the creature's head. He landed several yards ahead of the creature and the mess of purple goo, which was now melting the bones beneath it. Gently setting Kagome to the ground, Inuyasha's right hand instinctively went for the weapon on his left hip.

"Stay back, Kagome!" Inuyasha commanded, clawed digits curling around the frayed handle of Tetsaiga. Whipping it from the sheath, light blazed as the blade transformed into the mighty sword forged from a fang of his father. Gripping it with both hands, he prepared to do battle. Kagome trotted away from the frontline, joining Sango and Kilala nearby.

The centipede lurched forward, falling down to crush Inuyasha. He was too quick, leaping into the air and bounding over the creature just as its jaws came crashing into the bone beneath where he once stood. Swinging in with a quick rebound, the monster spun back around. Inuyasha countered its blow with ease, his sword clanging with the tough mandibles of the demon. In a short ballet of battle, Inuyasha hacked away at the demon while dodging globs of acidic poison. Sprinting up the length of the demon's back, he glided Tetsaiga through the thick mass of skin, tracing a path where the creature's spin was located. It shrieked in terror just before Inuyasha made the final blow to its skull. Shrilling, the centipede flopped around as its own acidic goo seeped from the wounds and melted it into the bones of the field.

All seemed quiet... momentarily. Inuyasha landed on the ground, taking shallow breaths.

"Piece of cake." He muttered, lifting his weapon into the air to return it to its sheath. Another scent caught his attention... and then another... and another! Demon signals were suddenly rising up all around him. "What the?" He blurted, but his words were interrupted as the entire field seemed to erupt. Demons of all types surrounded them, growls and screeches drowning out the gasps of the five friends located at the center of the valley. Kilala growled, roaring at the demons before her. Inuyasha bounded over to where Miroku and the others were standing.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked. "What's with all the demons? Don't tell me they're upset cause we killed one of their friends!"

"This must be the Field of Bone." Miroku reasoned, his hands tightly gripping his staff.

"Field of Bone?" Kagome mimicked.

"I've heard of it." Sango explained. "A sort of demon graveyard! It's supposed to be inhabited by hundreds of demons who feast on the flesh of the departed."

Kagome winced and Shippou bounded up onto her shoulder.

"What are we gonna do?" The tiny fox demon asked, his tiny voice trembling as he saw the snarling demons slowly advancing.

"Hn! They ain't nothin'." Inuyasha parted his legs, feet sliding along the clutter of bone, angling his sword in front of him. "Just a bunch of demon SCUM!" In his sentence, he pulled back on Tetsaiga and then swung forward. Power emanated from the sword as the wind scar wend thundering forward, splitting the ground as it blasted to destroy one hundred demons in one sweep. Sango swung her hiraikotsu, smashing into a demon as Kilala leaped through the onslaught. Miroku was twirling his staff, smashing monsters using spells and the head of his staff to crush the life force from them. In a moment, the field was cleared of the pathetic demon entourage.

Inuyasha was the only one left fighting. A monster of a demon was swinging wildly at him. Inuyasha bounded around on rocks dodging the attacks of the lumbering monster. It roared and balled its fists together, coming down in a crushing blow to pound Inuyasha into the ground. Jumping out of the way, Inuyasha heaved the power of his sword to come crashing down upon the monster's skull. A black blur came zipping between him and his target, the power of the object tossing him back. Inuyasha landed on the ground, barely recovering from the strange interference before the demon came down into another attack. Inuyasha barely managed to dodge it. Angered, he spun about face and hacked off the creature's forearms. Blood splattered everywhere and the monster reeled in pain, stumbling about. Inuyasha swung the mighty Tetsaiga once and the demon was vaporized in the blast.

Silence fell over the group. Curious as to what the object of interference was, his yellow orbs traced a path off to his left.

"Sango!" He exclaimed. "What's the big idea, huh? Throwing your boomerang in the middle of a battle and not even hittin' the target!"

Kilala took several leaps through the air toward Inuyasha, Sango's hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder.

"What do you mean, Inuyasha?" She asked, following his gaze to the object a few yards off. It was planted in the field, sticking up from the ivory clutter. A gasp caught in her throat, eyes wide with shock. Curious as to what Inuyasha and Sango were talking about, everyone turned to see what they were staring at.

There, protruding from the mass of decaying bones was a hiraikotsu of the purest ebony.


	2. The Black Slayer

OF DEMONS AND HUMANS

Chapter Two

The Black Slayer

By Ashley

Glimmering in the sunlight and protruding from the mass of decaying bones was a hiraikotsu of the purest ebony. Sango gasped when she saw the weapon that mirrored her own. When Kagome, Miroku, and Shippou saw the large boomerang, they, too, sucked in a breath.  
"Miyu?" Sango whispered as she stared, mesmerized, by the weapon. All of a sudden, it glowed in a red and black aura. Then, lifting from the clutter of bones, the hiraikotsu zipped off into a direction behind them, nearly knocking Shippou off of Kagome's shoulder. Everyone turned to see where it had flown off. Standing in the distance was a figure holding the weapon slung over her shoulder.  
The figure was that of a woman. She was glowing in the same ominous black and red aura. The most shocking feature, however, was her outfit: she was wearing a demon slayer's uniform! It looked exactly like Sango's except for the accent color was red instead of pink. Her long waves of brown hair billowed in the wind. Her eyes were dark blue and feral.  
"Miyu?" Sango asked aloud, a smile coming to her lips. "MIYU!" She exclaimed. The woman did not seem fazed.  
"You know her, Sango?" Inuyasha asked, his nonchalant tone combined with the new way he angled the Tetsaiga told Sango he wasn't prepared to let the earlier interference in his battle go easily.  
"It's Miyu! I'd know her anywhere. I haven't seen her in over seven years. I wonder what she's doing here." She decided she would try to get her old friend's attention again. Kilala took a couple of leaps toward the woman. "Miyu! It's me! Sango! Don't you remember me? MIYU!" Just as Kilala tried to advance even closer, Miyu launched her hiraikotsu with incredible speed and it came zipping in front of Kilala, warning her not to get any closer. The boomerang twirled back around and the slayer snatched it out of the air. "Miyu! What's wrong!" Sango exclaimed.  
"I think I've heard enough." Inuyasha broke in. "It's obvious she ain't her old self. She ain't talking and just launched her weapon at you, Sango." Inuyasha angled the Tetsaiga in front of him, carefully targeting the slayer before him.  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed. "You can't. That's Sango's friend. We need to find out what's wrong with her. Maybe we can save her."  
"You're Inuyasha?" Came the unexpected question from the slayer. Her voice was monotone. Everyone turned their attention on her once again.  
"Yea. What of it?" He replied. But the woman known as Miyu did not answer his question. She launched into her attack. Her speed was incredible! She sped up to him and jumped into the air, spinning down and swinging her weapon at him. He blocked the attack with his sword, feeling the power of the blow in a twang of the blade. He slid back a few inches but instantly rebounded from the first attack. They launched into a battle while the others stared, totally submerged in the waves of the encounter.  
Miyu slid back as Inuyasha struck hard on the boomerang. Her position was crouched. As if ricocheting off an invisible spring, she launched into the air.  
"HIRAIKOTSU!" She exclaimed in a thundering voice, releasing the powerful weapon on the dog demon opponent. His yellow orbs could see the demonic aura charging him and prepared for a blunt attack. Using his palm against the back of the blade, Inuyasha thrust the blade of the Tetsaiga toward the boomerang. He slid back several feet as its power pushed his guard to the max. He growled, straining to push the weapon off of him.  
"Wind tunnel!" Miroku yelled, slipping the cobalt beads from his wrist and hand. Opening his right palm, Miroku released the awesome power of his wind tunnel. A powerful sucking brought in several bone skulls, pulling on the force of the weapon. His hope was to pull it off of its course, giving Inuyasha a chance to attack her when she was unarmed.  
"Miroku!" Came the abrupt scream from Kagome. He glanced over in her direction and saw Naraku's poisonous insects rapidly flying for him. "Ah!" Whipping the beads back on, he closed up the wind tunnel just as the bees came swooping over his head. "That was close." He muttered, beads of perspiration dotting his forehead. But his plan had worked! The ebony hiraikotsu flew off in another direction. Inuyasha took the chance and darted for the slayer. Something in her seemed to snap and a human look came back into her eyes. He saw his reflection in those deep blue hues for the first time in the entire battle. However, this did not slow his attack. The fronts of wind came crashing in his line of vision, the wind scar busting through. Rearing back, he opened his mouth to shout the attack.  
In that moment, Sango registered the humanity come flooding back into her long, lost friend.  
"No..." She whispered. Inuyasha was going to destroy her! She had to do something. Fast. Tightly clutching the brown straps of her boomerang, she leaned back and then let loose her weapon. It went zipping in and clanged the Tetsaiga. The wind scar was lost. It bounced back and Sango grabbed it back up as it zoomed for her. Within a moment, the demonic presence returned to Miyu and she began to glow in the dark aura. Her hiraikotsu returned to her hand.  
"Sango!" Inuyasha boomed. "What the hell was that for!"  
"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed, ignoring Inuyasha. "I think Miyu has a jewel shard planted in her somewhere. Can you see it!" She called down to the girl below her. Kagome fixed her gaze on the slayer, studying her intensely. Then... the tiny glow of purple made itself known on the small of Miyu's back.  
"I see it! On her back! Inuyasha, can you hit it?" Kagome pointed toward where the shard was located. Inuyasha jumped up and attacked but Miyu was prepared. She rebounded his assault with more gusto than before. Everyone could see that Inuyasha was getting irritated and they knew at any minute he might use the wind scar. Kagome knew what she had to do. Slipping an arrow from the quiver on her back, she locked it onto the bow shaft and plucked the string. The arrow went whistling through the air, a purple glow sparking and enveloping it like a fire. It was the enchantment reacting. It plunged into the jewel shard and the enchantment caused it to eject from her body.  
Miyu's eyes widened as the power of the jewel shard left her. It felt as though all of her strength were flowing out of her muscles, the power she possessed being sucked out. Yet, clarity arose in the emancipation. Her objective was still the same, though it did not seem to be the goal to which drove her existence.  
In an unexpected twist, Miyu twirled around and swung her weapon at Inuyasha. He barely had time to block and the force combined with his being caught off guard knocked him onto his back. He went sliding in the bones, making a clear path through the skeletal pieces. Everyone gasped.  
"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Shippou exclaimed. Sango clutched her weapon tightly, wondering if she had somehow been mistaken about the extent to the spell over her friend. Was Miyu really under some sort of spell? Or was she simply out to kill Inuyasha and Sango had made a mistake thinking that good still shone in her friend?  
"Miyu! What are you doing?" Sango asked, though she didn't really expect a response. To her surprise, however, the former slayer turned her attention upon Sango, who was hovering near by on the back of Kilala.  
"Sango?" Miyu questioned. It was as if Miyu just now realized that her old friend was present. Sango took a breath and smiled. Kilala rushed down to greet her.  
"Miyu!" Sango practically jumped off of the two-tail's back, happily running up to greet the former slayer. The women did not respond in equal happiness. "What happened? When I saw Naraku's poisonous insects, I knew that he had to have tricked you into trying to kill Inuyasha. Now that the jewel shard has been removed, you're no longer under his spell."  
"Spell?" Miyu asked incredulously. Laughter then erupted from her lips. "I am under no spell! I am a demon slayer, am I not? Inuyasha is a demon, half-breed or not." She turned a menacing glare upon the dog demon who was pulling himself up with his sword. "He will die like all of the others."  
"Miyu?" Sango searched the face of her friend, hoping that a smile would break through and she would declare that she was only kidding. However, she did not. Instead, she said something far worse than before.  
"And you, Sango. You are a slayer, are you not? How can you sit idly by while this demon wanders freely! You travel with him, do you not? All of the wicked things he has done... He even slew a priestess!"  
Sango's eyes widened. All of the memories of her past came flooding back, including how Naraku had tried to use her brother, Kohaku, to get Sango to kill Inuyasha. Could that be what was going on here? Or was Miyu really out to rid the world of all of the demons? And... more importantly, what was she supposed to do? She couldn't possibly betray her friends! But, Miyu was also a friend... a friend from her childhood.  
"A priestess?" Kagome mimicked. _She must be talking about Kikyo... I'll bet Naraku tricked her into believing that!_ "You have it all wrong, Miyu!" Kagome exclaimed, running to meet the two slayers. "Inuyasha didn't kill Kikyo! Naraku tricked them both into turning against each other."  
Miyu turned a harsh glare on Kagome.  
"You lie!" She retorted. "Silly girl... _strange_ girl. You would side with a demon?"  
"Inuyasha is only half-demon, but so is Naraku! Don't you get it? Naraku is trying to trick you into killing Inuyasha just like he did to Kikyo and Inuyasha fifty years ago!"  
Miyu's eyes widened. "Naraku... a half demon?" She stammered.  
Kagura growled. Not only had Inuyasha and the others broken through the spell by extracting the jewel shard, but now they were beginning to convince Miyu she was fighting the wrong people. She didn't care all that much about Miyu's loyalty, but she despised the slayer and this show of weakness in the human agitated her. Kagura decided that she had to step in.  
"That's right!" Kagome chirped. "Naraku is a half-demon, just like Inuyasha. But, unlike Inuyasha, he's a terrible and despicable demon! He tries to hurt people and does terrible things!"  
Sango nodded in agreement. Shippou bounced up on Kagome's shoulder.  
"We're out to defeat Naraku and restore the jewel shard to its original state." He said, his fluffy foxtail twitching. Miyu opened her mouth to say something but something caused her to shut her mouth again. Her eyes narrowed into slits and her attention was diverted to something in the sky.  
"Dance of blades!" Kagura exclaimed, riding down to earth in a spiral of wind. The bolts of energy went slicing through the air toward Kagome, Shippou, Sango, and Miyu. Sango darted forward, snatching Kagome's wrist and pulling her and Shippou to safety. Kilala swooped down and they all jumped onto her back. Miyu back-flipped twice, easily dodging the attack.  
"Kagura!" Miroku exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm here to retrieve Naraku's jewel shard, of course! Miyu is no longer needed now that she has failed to slay the half-demon." She replied, folding her fan up in front of her chest. Several poisonous bees buzzed down to the ground where the shard had landed and one picked it up with its legs. It flew up toKagura and dropped the shard into her palm.  
"Failed?" Miyu roared. "Failing would imply a contract! I made no such pact with Naraku! I will kill Inuyasha, and if you interfere again, I will slay you as well!"  
Kagura frowned and tightly clutched the jewel shard.  
"Watch your mouth, half-wit!" She snapped. But Miyu had released her hiraikotsu before Kagura could even finish the sentence. It went spinning into the air and soaring by Kagura's face. The black tresses that she possessed brushed against her face as the boomerang sailed around her, coming within an inch of contact. Miyu reached up and caught it. The entire time, her eyes remained locked on Kagura's ruby orbs.  
"Next time I won't miss." She warned.  
"Hmn." Kagura huffed. Slipping a feather from her bun, she tossed it into the air. It grew to a large enough size and she stepped upon it. The wind picked it up into the air and she sailed off, a trail of Naraku's bees following in her wake. The wind blew and dust rolled by. All was quiet momentarily. Inuyasha broke the silence.  
"Errrr! She got away with another one of our jewel shards!" He exclaimed. Kagome nodded and lowered her head.  
"Gained one... only to lose it again."  
"Next time, we'll get it before Naraku has a chance to take it." Sango encouraged. Miyu's brows furrowed. Did they think that just because Kagura had taken her leave the threat had diminished. She was still there to kill Inuyasha, and she was determined to succeed in her mission.  
Inuyasha was making his way over to Kagome and the others when the ebony boomerang came whistling by his head. He jumped to the side to dodge the attack, bouncing back to avoid the sweep of the weapon. He growled and narrowed his weapon.  
"You know, you're askin' for it, lady!" He growled. Miyu didn't seem to care. She lunged for him and they launched into another battle. The slayer used her hiraikotsu as her main weapon of attack. Then, ejecting the arm blade, she switched between the two weapons as she twirled before him. Inuyasha had to give her one thing: she was well trained in her art. But this was getting tedious! He had to knock her back and then he would finish her off with his wind scar!  
Moving into the offensive position, he began a more powerful serious of thrusts and slashes versus the blocks he had been using before. Miyu recognized the change and fought to regain her advantage. But Inuyasha was powerful and he was fast! The tip of the Tetsaiga caught her right arm and a streak of blood glistened through the torn cloth. Another slice was made to her right leg. Miyu grimaced and moved in for an unarming technique. Hooking the Tetsaiga with her arm blade, she used the hiraikotsu to knock the weapon loose in his grip and then she pulled it away from him and threw it up into the air. As she did this, she swung the boomerang to his gut so that he would have to rear back to avoid being hit. The technique worked like a charm!  
"Er... Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" Cried the half-demon. Miyu wasn't expecting that. Her close proximity with Inuyasha did not allow her to dodge the attack. The claws sliced into her left leg and left side, leaving several scratch-like wounds. Bounding away, Miyu jumped into the air with the energy she had left and reared back for, what Sango recognized as, a slayer secret technique.  
"Miyu! NO!" Sango yelled, but it was too late. Miyu spun around and launched her weapon at Inuyasha. The speed of the weapon increased as a dark purple aura glowed around it.  
"HIRAIKOTSU!" Miyu screamed. Inuyasha furrowed his brows, positive that he could withstand the blow. It was coming in fast and he readied his claws. Twenty feet. Fifteen. Ten. Five... BANG! A shock of ivory and ebony blurred before him as Sango's weapon knocked Miyu's off course. Both boomerangs went crashing to the ground and a resounding shock of power exploded off to Inuyasha's left. Inuyasha held up the right sleeve of his blood red kimono to shield his eyes from the blast and the dust it exhumed. When the cloud had almost disappeared, he lowered the sleeve and peered through the thin brown and gray particles to where Miyu was standing. She was looking up into the sky at Sango on the back of Kilala. She seemed furious. Sango looked equally determined. The dust finally settled.  
"Why do you stop me, Sango!" Miyu exclaimed.  
"Because! Inuyasha is my friend, Miyu! I will not let you harm him!" Sango's expression seemed to soften. "He is my friend... just as you once were... as you _are!_"  
"Friend? What would you know about friendship, Sango?" Miyu asked. For the first time, there seemed to be pain in her voice when she spoke. "Trader!" She yelled, another pained streak cracking her voice. Sango's face seemed distorted with a sudden sorrow.  
"Hold on just a minute!" Kagome interrupted, stepping forward and placing her hands on her hips. "I know that no one's perfect, but Sango is a great friend and I value her friendship!"  
"I value Sango's friendship over my very life." Miroku added, stepping up by Kagome's side. Sango's eyes grew teary as she listened to the proclamation of her friends.  
"Kagome... Miroku..." She whispered.  
"Yea! Sango is a great person who cares about everyone. She has a really big heart!" Shippou piped up, again jumping onto Kagome's shoulder. Inuyasha jerked the Tetsaiga from the ground and turned his glare upon Miyu.  
"And she ain't a half-bad fighter, either." He remarked.  
"Shippou... Inuyasha..." Sango muttered, closing her eyes to push back the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks. Miyu watched them as each person stepped forward to declare their friendship to Sango. They had united themselvesinthat momentand Miyu realized that she could do nothing here for the time being. Perhaps, she would see them again soon... But one thing was for sure: one day she would kill Inuyasha... and rid the world of all demons.  
Stepping back, Miyu raised her hand into the air. The boomerang glowed in the same eerie red and black aura and pulled from the ground. It shot over to the slayer where she snatched it out of the air. Turning her back on the group, she hobbled away into the woods. Sango and Kilala touched down into the field of bone near Inuyasha and the others.  
"What was that all about?" Inuyasha remarked.  
"Another failed attempt by Naraku to cause division within the group, I believe." Miroku answered.  
"Who was she?" Kagome asked. Everyone looked over at Sango, whose gaze was focused on the ivory hairs of Kilala's fur.  
"Her?" Sango asked. "That was Miyu... the Black Slayer."


End file.
